Review: Fossil Youth’s ‘A Glimpse Of Self Joy’

Photo credit: Chris Bodell

It’s not very often that an entire record can carry you on an emotional journey from start to finish. Yet that’s exactly what Oklahoma-based rockers Fossil Youth’s A Glimpse Of Self Joyseems to do. Not straying from their impressive 2015 EP Intertwined With You,their debut instead expands on it in a way that proves they’re the up-and-coming emo/indie rock band to keep your eyes on.

Dipping their toes in pop punk and indie rock with an emo energy lacing it all together, Fossil Youth pull out the best elements from each genre and remind us that they’re not trying to create something that’s already been done.

Instead, their sound is saturated with pounding rhythms layered with stinging riffs. Toss in Noonan’s entrancing and emotionally raw vocals, and you hear exactly why A Glimpse Of Self Joy is a standout record.

However, it’s the lyrical journey from start to finish that truly makes the album. The record opens with the group’s lead single “Watercolor Daydream,” which sets the tone as an ode to the uncertainties found in growing up and growing apart. Interspersed with tracks that strike every heartstring, from anxiety and emptiness to maturation and self-growth, A Glimpse Of Self Joy proves Fossil Youth have found themselves—and where they want to go from here.

Though the record is tinged with an introspective take on personal heartbreak and finding yourself, it thrives in its raw relatability. It’s brutally honest, a sincere effort from a band who has already taken it to the next level.

From pacing and arrangement to instrumentals and the all-around lyrical narrative, A Glimpse Of Self Joy is clearly set to be one of the most emotionally authentic releases of the year. Fossil Youth have paved their own path on the indie/emo rock track, and if their debut record proves anything, it’s that they’re just getting started.

Want more from Fossil Youth? Preorder A Glimpse Of Self Joy, available Nov. 4,here. Plus, it’s currently available for streaming viaAlternative Press. Catch them on their west coast tour this November, and check out their social links below.